Let’s talk about how some women can get the Zika virus, but not an abortion

By now you’ve probably heard of Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that's been sweeping through South and Latin America. The virus causes fairly mild symptoms in adults, according to Donald McNeil, a New York Times science writer.

"You get a rash, fever, joint pain, headache, red eyes — but almost nobody
is ever hospitalized or dies of it, so nobody had considered this a
terribly serious threat," McNeil said on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show.

In response to the virus' potential effects on babies in utero, El Savador's Deputy Health Minister is urging El Salvadorian women to avoid pregnancy until 2018.

"We'd like to suggest to all the women of fertile age that they
take steps to plan their pregnancies, and avoid getting pregnant between
this year and next," Eduardo Espinoza said in a press conference.

Apparently,
the El Salvadorian government thinks pregnancy — and its prevention — is all
on women. Rosa Hernandez, director of El Salvador's Catholics for a
Free Choice, recently told Broadly that “calling attention to women not to become pregnant has caused outrage amongst all the women's movements [in El Salvador].”

Luckily,
some women are helping in this time of crisis. Dr.
Rebecca Gomperts runs an abortion-by-mail service called Women on Web.
The organization just announced that it will send free abortion pills
to any woman who can provide them with a laboratory test indicating that
she has contracted the Zika virus, according to a press release.

During the press conference where she announced Zika’s status, Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO Director-General, said:

“A
coordinated international response is needed, to improve surveillance,
the detection of infection, congenital malformations, and neurological
complications; to intensify the control of mosquito populations, and to
expedite the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines to protect
people at risk, especially during pregnancy.”

A "coordinated international response" is needed because there are so many women without access to abortion, which is always
a fundamental human right. According to Jill E. Adams, executive director of the Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice, who spoke to Revelist via email:

"Common sense and compassion would dictate that governments ensure access to contraception and abortion in light of such a public health crisis as the Zika virus. Meaningful access would require the lifting of criminal bans and restrictions on abortion provision, as well as public education campaigns and the establishment of community clinics in rural and urban areas with fully funded reproductive health care."

Common sense, indeed. Note: This piece has been updated with a quote from Jill E. Adams.